Lucas Pouille ready to return to work to find the very high level. EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP
Sharply beaten by Cameron Norrie in the second round (6-1, 6-3, 6-3), Lucas Pouille leaves the tournament before the tenfold desire to find the highest level. And redouble our efforts to achieve it.
Roland-Garros
On this one-sided game
“Yes, it took me a bit of time to adapt to the conditions. The Lenglen is different from the short 14. So it took me a bit of time. But yes, we had a hell of a fight. Cameron played well. I have to get back to work, and work hard to get back to this level. I saw today what I need to keep working on. It’s good to know.”
On his great adventure at Roland-Garros
“I think, to continue to play games at this level, to replay games at this level, at this intensity. Today, Cameron is a player who misses very little, who is very solid, who presses on the progress that remains to be made. But after 5 games here, it gives me confidence. I am very happy. If on returning from the United States, several weeks ago, I had been told: you will qualify, you will pass a round and you will be in the second round on Lenglen, honestly I would have signed. Considering the level I had there, and what I couldn’t put in place… You shouldn’t put everything in the trash.
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There is disappointment tonight, it’s normal, after a defeat, you always want more. But I am proud of the efforts I have made in recent weeks. I’m proud of what I did in this tournament. I am very happy with the emotions that I was able to experience, with the public, and during this tournament. It makes me want to go back to training, to work even harder, and to try to get back to this kind of tournament as soon as possible.”
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On its lines of work in the future
“I’m not going to change my status. I will spend 700th global at 400th. Tournaments aren’t literally going to change. What there is to work on, for me, is to find this habit of playing at this intensity, to find this habit of playing important points against this kind of player. The forehand, I always know how to do it, the backhand, it’s the same. It’s not a question of what is technically or tactically wrong. Above all, it’s getting back into the habit of playing at this intensity, against this kind of player. And then, getting used to chaining matches again, too. This is the fifth game. Beyond the physical, the emotions, everything that could have happened for 10 days, there is a little nervous fatigue, even if I had two days to recover, we are still in the washing machine.
On the return to anonymity in Challengers tournaments
“Anyway, there is no choice, and I am clear with that. To taste that again, it makes me want to go even more, to try to get out of it as quickly as possible, and to make every effort to do so. But I am very clear on the fact of leaving in Challenger, and having to fight. Every player is hungry, every player wants to win. Me, I am ready to give 400% until the end of the year, to try to reach the highest possible ranking, and to achieve the objective which is to be in the table in Australia.
